Share
17. CONTRACEPTION
CONTRACEPTION:
Part of the honeymoon checklist, if the couple is not yet planning on having babies immediately after the wedding.
We dropped off my family at the Waldorf Astoria. Then, Ryder and I drove back to his apartment in silence.
We were playing a dangerous game. In truth, no guy would put up with this. Why Ryder was doing so, I didn’t know. And he was doing it so well, and so nicely, it was getting more and more difficult for me not to feel something for him.
Damn! Already physically attracted to him; I didn’t want to wish this was all real. I couldn’t take that risk.
When he closed the door of his apartment, I turned to him nervously. He was smiling at me mischievously.
“Ryder, I can’t really kiss you here. No one is here to see us. No need to put on a show,” I said.
He stepped closer to me and tilted my chin gently so he cou
Related chapters
Knight in Shining Suit 18. FLOWERS
FLOWERS:An important element that makes up the whole wedding. Flowers must go with the theme, and must always match or compliment the motif.I found my mother in deep conversation with my aunt. When she saw us coming, she turned away, but not before I saw that her eyes were glistening with tears.I raised a brow at my aunt, but she merely shrugged.We went back to the hotel. Uncle Reynolds and Ryder had coffee in the living room and I figured it was time to speak to my mom and aunt privately.“What’s going on, Mom?”She shook her head.“Mother, I’m not a child anymore. Tell me what’s wrong.”All of a sudden she launched into a fit.“Oh my God, Mom!” I said, hugging her.“Your… father is having an affair!” she burst out.“What? When?”“It’s
Knight in Shining Suit 19. USHERETTES
USHERETTES:Their role is to make sure that your guests do not lose their way on your wedding party.One night, Ryder called me to ask a favor.“The maid will come tomorrow. Usually I’m there when she does. But I won’t make it this week. Can you stop by my house? She doesn’t have a key. Just let her in and stay there while she does her stuff.”“You want me to supervise your maid?”“Not really. Just be there to make sure that everything’s in order.”“Alright. I think I can handle that.”The next day, I went to Ryder’s house. His maid was a woman in her forties named Zara. She didn’t look like a maid at first, more like a diner waitress. She was chewing gum and was wearing a skirt way above her knees.“Where is Mr. Ryder?” she asked me.“He’s in Manhat
Knight in Shining Suit 20. ARRANGED MARRIAGE
ARRANGED MARRIAGE:A marriage born out of a business arrangement where both parties aim to benefit from the other.Adam asked me to have dinner with him. But I knew my cousin better. He only invited me over for dinner to either drop a bomb on my head or he’d touch base on what’s going on with the business. So even though it was casual, I was ready with the figures in my head, just in case he asks.“Business is good?” he asked casually.“I knew you took me to dinner for a reason!” I accused, pointing a finger at him.He chuckled. “Just asking.”I smiled at him. “It’s great!” I said. “In a few months, you’ll see those figures going green.”“Maybe it’s time to expand.”I stared at him. “What do you mean?”He shrugged. “Well, my investor saw
Knight in Shining Suit 21. WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
WEDDING ANNIVERSARY:A celebration of another year of marriage, no divorce, no separation. Whew!Friday morning, I called up Adam. I wasn’t really mad at him. I knew that he was only looking out for me. I told him that I would catch a ride with him, as I wouldn’t be going with Ryder to my parents’ party.“And if they look for Ryder, what will you tell them?” Adam asked.“That we’re taking time off. That I wasn’t ready. Ryder is a wonderful guy, but he was too serious about getting married and I’m not ready for that commitment yet. Plus, he’s in Manhattan eighty percent of the time.”“And what will you really do about Ryder, Astrid?” he asked.I took a deep breath. “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s… my boss apparently. I’ll keep working on this, until the profits sta
Knight in Shining Suit 22. I DO
I DO:Powerful two little words that actually mean, ‘I will love you, take care of you, serve you, protect you, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live.’Before I joined my parents, I looked at Ryder and said, “Thank you, Ryder. You’ve been very kind to all of us. I guess this is the last, huh? I'll call my parents after a week to tell them that it’s over. Don’t worry. I'll make sure nobody blames you. I’ll tell them that I want to stay single for a while. To… date around…”“Do you?” he asked bitterly.I raised a brow. “Do I what?”“Want to date around?” he asked.I laughed… to cover up the pain that I feel inside… and to hide the truth behind the lie that I’m about to say.“It’s been a while, hasn&rsquo
Knight in Shining Suit 23. BOND
BOND:A connection that fastens things or people together.The next morning, I woke up Ryder with kisses. He smiled at me and then he held me by the waist, pushed me on my back and pinned me between his body and the soft mattresses of his bed. There was no need for words after that.It was almost noontime when we got up from bed. I knew that Ryder would leave soon and this made me want to cry already.“What time’s your flight?” I asked him.He smiled and pulled me to him. “Tomorrow at ten.”“Why?” I asked in surprise.“I canceled things today.”“Ryder… why did you do that?”He kissed me. “I wanted to. A day won’t hurt. It’s our first day together… for real. The first day that didn’t have to end.”I gave him a hug. “Geography&rsqu
Knight in Shining Suit 24. VEIL
VEIL:Covers the bride’s face to the groom until he has fully committed to her after the wedding ceremony.I am made of stone. I can do this. I am not giving up! I told myself over and over.I was sitting on the deck of Ryder’s Malibu home. After so many nights I still felt alone, my heart was still broken and every single minute, I ached for the man who swore he would make my ‘ever after’ come true.But he was not here anymore… I never felt so alone in my life. The pain was ten times worse than what I felt when Bryan and Geena betrayed me.I remembered his laughter, his smile. I remembered his arms around me and the way he would look at me. I remembered how he never gave up on me. How he waited for me to realize that he was the right one for me. How long he waited for me to realize that I was in
Knight in Shining Suit 25. VELLUM
VELLUM:A thin, transparent or semi-transparent type of paper the effect of which resembles a frosted glass, commonly used in wedding invitations.Ryder.When I woke up at the hospital, my first thought was that I was late for my meeting in Malibu. I just opened Oil Rig and would soon open another bar, Rig Style.When I opened my eyes, my family and friends were staring back at me curiously, all with tears in their eyes.That’s when I realized that something must have happened to me. Judging from the throbbing pain I felt in my head, the fact that I could barely move my body due the tight bandages wrapped around me in the rib area, I guessed that I was in a car accident.Damn! I wonder which of my cars I have to say goodbye to. I hope it’s not my McLaren. I just bought it a month ago and the price was not sweet at all. I would hate to
Latest chapter
- Knight in Shining Suit Epilogue: THE WEDDING
- Knight in Shining Suit 38. THE VENUE
- Knight in Shining Suit 37. RING
- Knight in Shining Suit 36. PRESENT
- Knight in Shining Suit 35. WEDDING ALBUM
- Knight in Shining Suit 34. SOMETHING BORROWED
- Knight in Shining Suit 33. SOMETHING BLUE
- Knight in Shining Suit 32. SOMETHING OLD
- Knight in Shining Suit 31. SOMETHING NEW
